When should you clock in?

The most accurate timepiece in the world is your body.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

It helps to know.

Because if you’re a morning person, you’re not going to do great work at 2am. And if you’re a night owl, no amount of coffee or Red Bull is going to turn you into a dawn patrol performer.

I learned this early in life back in college. I realized I wrote better papers in the morning. This realization helped me cut down on my college partying.

This early bird approach soon became a competitive advantage in my career. I could show up early and do a ton of work. I could have ideas done or copy written on a boss’s desk or in a client’s inbox first thing. (And I never met a boss or a client who didn’t appreciate that.)

Of course, I’m a basket case by 2:30pm. But that’s the way this calculus works. So you learn to work around it.

But it all starts with knowing the rhythm of your body.

Pay attention to your inner clock.  

The difference it can make in your performance is like, well, night and day.